Friday, March 11, 2016

strawberry iced cookies

March. I'm not quite sure how to feel about you. For one, you officially win the award for Month With the Most Actual School. Also, you are chock full of internship application deadlines and that is no fun.

But at the same time, your days are a bit longer than February's, and warmer, too. And this year, you're also full of college admissions decisions(!!!!!!!!) that could possibly set the pace for the rest of my life. You feel like change, and I think that's a good thing.

These cookies are a bit of a change too, from the more common chewy-fudgy-requires-a-full-glass-of-milk cookies. Thanks to a generous amount of yogurt(they were adapted from a sour cream cookie recipe), they come out tender, cakey and spongy, a proper spring cookie. The icing is made with freeze-dried strawberries and makes these cookies adorably, naturally pink.

Just a note, these do not travel well. Unless a sticky, sugary lump is exactly what you want, please do not dump them all into tupperware and attempt to take them places. These are not adventure cookies; they are nice stay-at-home cookies. I think your best bet is to put them all on a single layer and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Or just eat them all like I did.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a fork or whisk until well combined.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the yogurt until everything is homogenous and smooth. Add the dry mixture and fold it in by hand with a large spoon or spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Mix until just combined (we are being really careful here not to overmix) and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Drop balls of about 2 teaspoons dough onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each. If the dough is too sticky to work with, dip your hands in flour every once in a while before rolling the balls. Bake for about 7-9 minutes, or until the tops of cookies are set (use your fingertip to gently test them).

Let the cookies cool as you make your icing.

The icing:

Pulse dried strawberries in a food processor until they become a powder. Let the mixture sit a minute or so before opening the processor unless you want a faceful of pink dust. Use a fine mesh strainer to sift the strawberry dust into a small bowl.

Put powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, mix icing until smooth, and then stir in the next tablespoon of milk. Add the strawberry dust and stir well.

Assembly:

Arrange cookies on a cooling rack with parchment paper beneath to catch icing drips. Dip each cookie top into the icing (if icing is too thick, add more milk a teaspoon at a time until it's good), let the excess drain off and then replace it on the rack. Repeat until all the cookies have been iced and let them sit for a few hours as the icing sets. Then, eat!

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Thanks for reading! If you would like to use or adapt one of my recipes to post online, please let me know with a comment on the post in question and be sure to include a link to my original recipe. If you would like to use one of my photos, same story- just leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you. Happy baking!